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People smugglers stopped
John Ensor
A BI-NATIONAL operation between France and the UK has dismantled a peoplesmuggling organisation.
A report published on Thursday, July 13, told how an organised crime group used pleasure boats to smuggle illegal migrants across the channel.
A joint operation between the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and its French counterpart, led to an investigation into an organised crime group and resulted in the imprisonment of a man in France. Thanks to the collaboration between British and French authorities they were able to link the group to two separate vessels. One of the boats, named Moon, was involved in a smuggling run which saw 11 migrants brought ashore in Rye, East Sussex, in February 2022.
A 36yearold Iraqi national was arrested by NCA officers in Barnet, north London, in connection with that particular incident. He was later released on bail pending further enquiries.
During the investigation, a second yacht, the Lady Ann, was identified as being located in Belgium and travelled from there to Boulognesurmer.
On June 1, 2022, a 43 year old Georgian national, Igor Romanovi, who skippered the vessel was arrested by French police while the boat was docked in Boulogne.
Romanovi was prosecuted for people smuggling offences and on June 26, 2023, he was sentenced to four years in prison by a court in Dieppe. He has also been banned from French territory upon his release.
The regional manager for NCA International, Tom Outhwaite, commented: “Tackling people smuggling is a priority for the NCA and we are working closely with our partners in France, Belgium and beyond to target the organised criminals involved on both sides of the Channel.”
The NCA’s successful operation was supported by the authorities in France and Belgium, as well as Sussex Police, Border Force, Immigration Enforcement and the Crown Prosecution Service.
